


Julie and the Ghost

by americanhoney913



Series: Julie and the Himbos [7]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Disney Songs, F/M, Gen, Juke for the win, My Secret Santa wanted Juke- so I gave them Juke, everyone can see it, they're in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:08:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28135929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/americanhoney913/pseuds/americanhoney913
Summary: Tale as old as timeTrue as it can beBarely even friendsThen somebody bendsUnexpectedlyJust a little changeSmall to say the leastBoth a little scaredNeither one prepared--- Beauty and the Beast, 2017***Julie and Luke's relationship and chemistry through the eyes of friends and those that know them best.
Relationships: Alex Mercer & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters, Flynn & Julie Molina, Julie Molina & Carrie Wilson, Julie Molina & Nick, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Series: Julie and the Himbos [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1959466
Comments: 22
Kudos: 155





	1. I Won't Say I'm in Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blushandbooks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blushandbooks/gifts).



> Secret Santa 2020!
> 
> My Secret Santa wanted Juke and lots of fluff, so I played on that and wrote 5 chapters of Juke through the eyes of different characters + 1 chapter from the eyes of either Luke or Julie (shhh, it's a secret).
> 
> HAPPY HOLIDAYS, CHLOE!
> 
> Thank you to MadameCristal for being both a beta and helping me pick the songs for each chapter.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Who d'you think you're kidding_  
>  _He's the earth and heaven to you_  
>  _Try to keep it hidden_  
>  _Honey, we can see right through you_  
>  _Girl, you can't conceal it_  
>  _We know how you're feeling_  
>  _Who you thinking of_  
>  \--- Hercules, 1997

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flynn loves her best friend, she really does... but falling in love with a ghost was something she never expected to happen.

Flynn watches as Julie hums to whatever she’s listening to in her headphones. She laughs as she leans against the locker next to hers, a smile on her face. Julie’s wearing one of the school's crop top sweatshirts over a baby blue unitard and distressed very light blue jeans. Flynn can even see white fishnets in the holes at her knees. It’s a cute outfit. Flynn definitely approves.

When Julie looks up, she smiles back at Flynn. She slings her backpack over her shoulder and turns to her friend. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Nothing. It’s just nice seeing you back to your weirdo self.”

Julie wrinkles her nose. “Thanks?” It comes out as more of a question, going up higher at the end, but Flynn beams at her best friend.

“So,” Flynn moves a little closer, “how’s the band? Still hot? Still talented?” She looks around and whispers behind her hand, “Still dead?”

“Amazing.” Julie chuckles. “Luke and I spent the whole weekend writing songs.” Oh, boy. “Come on.” Julie slots her arm into Flynn’s elbow and begins to tug her along. “You wanna hear some of them?”

“ _Duh._ ”

Julie begins to babble as they make their way to the music room, which is empty. Julie and Flynn share a study hall right now with Miss Harrison in the cafeteria, but she's given them a pass to come to her room instead. They really should be studying, but Flynn’s so excited about Julie’s new music and her cute ghost band that she won’t be able to concentrate on anything else. Bio test be damned.

“Like, it was flowing through me.” Julie talks with her hands when she gets excited and she’s babbling right now, so they’re moving. It’s adorable and Flynn loves her friend so much, but her girl has whacked her with a hand when she was too excited about something before. “Like when I used to write with Mom.”

Julie takes a seat at the piano, and Flynn leans against the rim on the opposite side. After a year of Julie’s silence, anything coming out of her friend’s mouth sounds melodic. Julie flexes her fingers and settles them against the keys.

“So, this is the first song Luke and I wrote.” Julie takes a deep breath. “Here’s a bit of the chorus.” She opens her mouth and an angel’s voice spills out. What? Flynn loves metaphors. “ _‘Cause, we’re standing on the edge of great. Great. Great._ ” Flynn dances a little, swaying from side to side, bobbing her head.

“Wow! I like it!” Flynn gives the singer a thumbs up. “Definite Gaga vibes.”

“Thanks!” Julie beams at her. “I think we have an anthem with this one. It’s something my mom and I were working on.”

Flynn feels herself soften. Her best friend has been through so much in the span of a single year. Her mom slowly dying, fading away until she was almost nothing before passing away; losing the friendship they shared with Carrie due to her jealousy; the music fading from Julie’s life until there was nothing but silence. Flynn hated the silence. But, now, Julie’s life is filled with music and cute ghost boys and her smile’s back and Flynn loves her so much.

“Luke and I finished it. Check it out.” She takes a deep breath and lets it out. The melody feels softer than the previous song, and Flynn’s already excited to hear it in full when it’s done. “ _And it’s one, two, three, four times… that I’ve tried for one more night… Light a fire in my eyes… I’m going out of my mind…_ ”

“That’s…” Flynn nods, “that’s beautiful.”

Julie chuckles and she begins to pick at the keys, keeping the music going under their conversation. Ever since she got the beat back, Julie's always humming or drumming her fingers or doing something to create that little bit of sound. It doesn't feel so empty and silent anymore. 

Flynn’s lips curl up into an all-knowing smile and she wiggles her eyebrows. “And my girl’s got a crush, and his name is Luke.”

“What?” Julie puts her hands up in denial, her voice cracking. “No. Luke’s a ghost.”

“A cute ghost,” Flynn retorts in the span of a second. She’s seen the way Julie looks when she sings with Luke, to Luke. When she talks about Luke, her eyes go all soft and her voice sounds a little breathy until she catches herself. It’s the same thing that happened at the beginning of her crush on Nick. At least she doesn’t squeak anymore, like she did during the summers in middle school when Carrie began wearing bikinis during pool time. That would be embarrassing for all parties involved.

Julie purses her lips and sighs, looking away and to the floor. “With a perfect smile,” she admits.

“Ha!” Flynn points at her best friend. “I knew it!” She nods to herself. “Just remember he’s made out of air.”

“ _Cute_ air,” Julie retorts with a shrug. She even gets an eyeroll in there.

“Just don’t get hurt, okay?” Flynn says softly after a few seconds of comfortable silence. She shakes her head, braids swishing against her face before she smiles. Time for a little conversation change. “You guys have a connection. Everybody’s wondering when you’ll play again.”

“Play again?” To the surprise of no one, Julie gives her a shocked/confused combo look, shaking her head. “We don’t even have anything planned. Luke and I have just been focused on writing songs.”

Oh, her sweet summer child of a best friend. Flynn smiles at her. “Lucky for you, your marketing team has been _way_ ahead of you.”

“I don’t have a marketing team?” Julie narrows her eyes and her whole body screams skeptical. Which, ow. Never underestimate the power of a best friend who loves you and has access to the internet.

“Yes, you do!” Flynn takes off her backpack and pulls out a flyer. She worked all of tech class on this instead of their actual project— without getting caught!— and she’s rather proud of herself.

_Julie and the Hologram Band_

_Tonight_

_At the Dance_

“And surprise!” She does a one-handed _ta-da_ and beams at Julie. She hands Julie the flyer. “You’re playing the school dance and I’m DJ-ing too.”

Julie takes the flyer gently, like it’s going to bite her head off. She looks between it and Flynn a few times, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. Before Julie can get any words out, Flynn flips her braids over her shoulder. “I posted it all over social media.” She puffs out her chest proudly. “You have an excellent marketing team.”

“No. No.” Julie puts the flyer down and shakes her head, making an X with her hand. “This is in front of the whole school.”

Flynn’s phone buzzes in her pocket. She pulls out her phone, taps at the Instagram app, and beams. She wiggles her phone just out of Julie’s reach. “Sorry, you already have 68 likes.” She walks backward, hefting her backpack further onto her shoulder. 

Julie huffs and Flynn watches as she scrambles to close the lid of the piano, shove the flyer into her bag, grab her backpack, and catch up. She grumbles under her breath, and Flynn reaches the door just as Julie grabs her arm. She knows, in the back of her mind, that three rockers from the 90s might not be happy about playing a high school dance, but Luke seems to be their leader and he’ll do anything for Julie, so… 

* * *

Flynn watches as Julie rushes out of the gym, head down. She keeps looking back over her shoulder at the mirror until she’s no longer actually able to see it. Nick looks just as confused as Flynn feels, but he smiles at his buddies, just a little more awkwardly. She’d seen the way Julie and Nick had moved together; it was like her best friend was in a trance, their movements smooth and almost like an afterthought.

She follows Julie to the empty music room, listening as she plays the melody on the piano that Flynn’s never heard before. It’s much softer than the _Julie and the Phantoms_ stuff she and Luke have been working on. More, well, romantic.

“There you are,” Flynn says as she steps into the room, making her presence known. Julie looks up at her, fingers pausing on the keys. “I’ve been looking all over for you.” She makes her way over to the piano, leans her hips against it. “Why’d you run out of dance class so fast?”

“Sorry. I just needed some air.” She takes a deep breath, lets it out. “It was a little intense in there.”

Oh, boy, does Flynn know what she means. She wiggles her eyebrows at Julie. “Oh, I noticed.” She clasps her hands in front of her. “Dancing with a guy you’ve had a crush on for forever will do that to a girl.”

"Yeah…" Julie picks as a seam on her pretty black dress, the athletic shorts showing when it lifts up with her fiddling. "But the whole time we were dancing," she brushes her kinky black hair, fuzzy with sweat, behind her ear, "I was thinking about Luke."

"Seriously?" The poem-slash-song Julie wrote for her and performed with the boys didn’t lie. _You know who I’m liking way before I like them_. Flynn’s been able to predict all of Julie’s crushes; Mr. Cute Ghost Guitarist never crossed her mind before she saw him, but she's not wrong. "First off," she puts out her left hand, palm open, "called it. Second," she does the same with her right, like she's about to weigh scales or something, "I know you always want what you can’t have, but Luke is next-level." 

"I know." Julie groans. "And now I think Nick likes me. _Nick!_ "

"He totally does."

Flynn watches as her best friend sighs, moving from fiddling with the skirt of her dress to her hair, pulling at the curls. Sometimes Flynn's jealous of Julie's hair, but then she remembers how long it took her dad to learn to braid her hair since her other dad worked night shifts and couldn't be there in the morning to do it. She watches now as the curl Julie's pulling becomes less and less bunched. Julie sighs and, if Flynn were a betting woman, she'd say it sounded almost like a lovestruck one. "But me and Luke just clicked…" She looks at Flynn with deep brown eyes that sparkle and shift, the gold flecks inside swirling with conflict. "And he’s so…"

"Not real." Flynn loves Julie, she really does, but the girl's got it bad for a boy that's been dead for longer than she's been alive. She hates bursting Julie's bubble, hates being the realistic pessimist, but her best friend has always gone for the unobtainable: Carrie, Nick, now a ghost boy. Flynn reaches out and lays her palm flat against the piano, and Julie looks at it sadly. "You can make all the music you want with Luke, but… he’ll always be a phantom." When Julie's big brown, beautiful eyes start looking a little hazy, a little watery, Flynn changes directions. She rocks on her heels. "So… here’s what we’re gonna do." She swipes Julie's phone from the top of the piano and Julie makes an affronted sound in the back of her throat, making a half-hearted grab for it. She knows Julie's passcode by heart— her mom's birthday— and clicks into her text messages. "Send Nick a nice friendly text asking him to come to your party tonight." She remembers Julie squealing into the phone about finally having his number because they're also partners for Music Theory. And they have to write a _love song_ , so hopefully, that'll take Julie's mind off of Dead Boy™.

Julie leans over and Flynn can smell her coconut oil shampoo. Her eyebrows wrinkle and she shakes her head. Usually, she hates people reading over her shoulder, but it's Julie's phone and, if she's gonna send a flirty text on Julie's behalf, the girl might as well see it… once it's been sent, of course. "Um, I usually don’t use that many smiley faces."

"You do now." She looks at Julie, feels that best friend connection zip between them. Flynn's hella thankful that the mini crush she had on her friend in elementary school has mostly faded. She can still appreciate everything about Julie without simping. "I’m not gonna let you get your heart broken. And trust me." She puts her hand on Julie's knee. Her skin's warm under Flynn's palm, a little rough from scraped knees, from softball and baseball back in their younger days. "Tonight, you’re performing with Luke, so the key is to avoid those big, beautiful, _dead_ eyes." She knows she's repeating herself, but she feels that it's her duty, as the best friend in the whole wide world, to keep reminding Julie that, while she can see Luke and interact with him, they can never be together the way she could be with Nick now that she has a chance.

Julie's brow furrows and she scrunches up her nose. "You’re very pushy today."

Flynn clicks her tongue and winks. "You’re welcome," she says as she tosses her braids over her shoulder.

Julie shakes her head and laughs, which is almost as musical as her singing. "Can we just stay here until next period?" she asks, leaning her head against Flynn's shoulder. "I don't think I can go back there. I can't face Nick after daydreaming about Luke." She taps her fingers against Flynn's arm. "Especially with this new Luke-centric song in my head."

"You came up with a whole ass song for Luke while you were dancing with Nick?" Flynn shakes her head. "Girl…" Damn. She's really happy Julie has the boys in her life, but homeboy is messing with the balance of things. Dead people are not supposed to make living people's hearts work so hard… unless they’re scaring people. Luke's got a hold on Julie and Flynn just hopes she can survive it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is the first chapter of seven. I hope you enjoyed it, Chloe and all the others who read it! Let me know what you thought!
> 
> This fic will skip around in time a little bit, but I hope there's no confusion.
> 
> Tomorrow: Reggie might not be the sharpest crayon in the box, but he knows something's up with Luke and Julie.


	2. Something There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Well, who'd have thought?_  
>  _Well, bless my soul_  
>  _Well, who'd have known?_  
>  _Well, who indeed?_  
>  \--- Beauty and the Beast, 1991

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reggie's not stupid. He's seen the way Luke looks at Julie when they perform. Their chemistry is _chef's kiss _, which is a fun phrase he's heard Flynn say.__

Just like it did 25 years ago, the garage has great acoustics. Reggie kind of bobs his whole body as he plays his bass, watching and copying Luke’s hands as the melody flows between them. They’re practicing _Great_ for the garage show later tonight. Julie’s still at school, but she’s been talking about this all week. When she’s not working on homework, she and Luke have been holed up in her room, just the two of them… alone. It would have been amusing if it didn’t leave Reggie alone with an anxious Alex who wouldn’t stop worrying about his own thing with Willie.

Reggie’s trying to stretch his fingers to get the right note when Alex’s drumming becomes less of a backbeat and more aggressive. Luke and Reggie share a look before turning to the blonde. Eventually, he crashes his sticks down on the cymbals, almost in anger.

“Alex, are yo0u alright?” Luke asks once the cymbals have stopped ringing out.

“Yeah,” Reggie watches as Alex bobs his head like a chicken. “Yeah. Yeah, why?”

“I know it’s tough, man,” Reggie says. He knows how Alex gets. “People say you never forget your first ghost. Maybe that’s true.” He smiles at the blonde. “But… I’m sure there will be others.”

Alex smiles at him sarcastically in response. “Yeah, thanks, Reg.” Reggie can feel Luke’s eyes on the two of them as they share a weird “yeah, yeah” moment.

Luke leans on one of the cymbals. “And, Alex, you’re a great drummer and a great guy, okay?” He raps his knuckles against the metal, creating a dull sound. “I wouldn’t let all that stuff get in between you and what you love.”

The blonde nods. 

Reggie smirks as he picks at one of the strings on his bass. “I don’t know, man. Sometimes a little fire can make things better on stage.” He wiggles his eyebrows at Luke. “Like you and Julie.”

Luke backs up a step and stutters. Reggie kind of loves it when he can fluster their lead singer. Sure, Alex is great with the sarcasm, but Reggie never knows what’s gonna come out of his mouth at any given moment. It’s just one of his amazing superpowers.

“Uh, wha… What is that supposed to mean?”

Reggie chuckles. “Come on,” he waves his hand, “everyone can see the way you look at her when you sing." The way Luke looks at Julie is so obvious. When that girl opens her mouth, Luke would melt into a puddle if he didn’t have to play. She might dance with Reggie and jump along to Alex’s beats, but when she and Luke share a mic or harmonize… wow. “You guys _ooze_ chemistry.”

He turns when he hears Alex scoff. The blonde points one of his sticks at him and says, “You should never say “ooze” again,” and then his other at Luke, “but, yeah, I agree.”

“Okay, no.” Luke puts his guitar down. “I have chemistry with everybody that I sing with.” Reggie looks at Alex and the other boy scoffs. Sure, Luke’s been known to share a mic and sometimes they get so close Reggie can smell his sweat, watch it drip down his nose. But it’s different. Reggie grew up with Luke, seen him in the most embarrassing moments, so that attraction isn’t there, right? “Seriously, watch. Uh…” All of a sudden, Luke’s walking towards Reggie as he sings the chorus to _Edge of Great_ in the most seductive way possible. Luke cups the back of his neck until they’re as close as they get when sharing a mic. Almost sharing air. Is this what Julie feels like all the time?

Reggie swallows nervously as Luke gives him a crooked smile and backs up.

“I see chemistry,” Alex says, a mix of sarcasm and deadpan.

“That was pretty hot,” Reggie says and he hates the fact that he can feel his face go hot, his voice cracking. He blinks as Luke kisses his fingers and brushes them against his lips. Reggie clears his throat and holds onto his bass in a white knuckle grip. 

“Girls. Am I right?” he asks awkwardly, voice cracking a little.

Luke puts his guitar back on, putting the strap over his head. “Yeah.”

“No.” Alex huffs as he sits back down, twirling one of his sticks around his fingers.

* * *

Even though it used to be their space, Reggie likes what Julie’s mom, and now Julie, has done with the place. All the boys’ junk is up in the loft, trash bags in various states of being rediscovered, but Luke’s couch is still downstairs and there’s the instruments connected to their souls. Alex is gone, probably trying to find Willie again. The blonde’s not good at confrontation, but Reggie’s seen the twitchiness in his hands, can almost feel the energy coming off him every time after they get one of those jolts.

Luke’s laying on the couch, pen tip in his mouth, mumbling to himself. He’s got one leg crossed over the other, his battered composition notebook resting on it as he taps out a rhythm in the air with his foot. Sometimes Reggie’s surprised it’s survived this long, especially since his second notebook fell into Bobby’s hands and became the stolen songs that led them to Caleb’s club and those stupid jolts.

“Reg?” Luke’s voice echoes in the empty space and Reggie looks up from where he’s fiddling with his bass, strumming out a random tune he’d heard Ray playing on the radio earlier.

He hums in acknowledgment and tilts his head up. He’s sitting on the floor next to the couch, bass in his lap. Reggie looks up at Luke out of the corner of his eye as the brunette takes the pen out of his mouth. He squints and his eyes go wide when he realizes that Luke’s got one of Julie’s sparkly glitter pens in his mouth. It’s a dark blue, almost black, but he wonders if Luke even realizes it or if he just grabbed a random one off the table.

“I’ve been thinking of adding a little guitar solo during the bridge.” He hums out the tune Julie’s going to sing and adds a little bit to it. “Because you guys stop playing and she’s just kinda singing by herself?”

“I think it’d be kind of cool,” Reggie responds. He may be oblivious sometimes— not the sharpest crayon in the box, according to Alex, which makes no sense because crayons aren’t sharp, but whatever. Right now, Luke’s the oblivious one. Reggie kind of likes the fact that Julie gets to sing on her own, really lean into her vocals, but the idea of seeing Luke fawn over Julie while he’s playing backup for her is amusing. And, to add fuel to the fire, he adds, “Maybe you could walk up to her, you know? Play it up for the audience.” He shrugs. “Girls go wild for that.” _Reggie_ would go wild for that, based on Luke’s little stunt earlier. But this isn’t about him. It’s about Luke being dumb and not realizing his feelings for Julie. Or trying to shut them down because of the whole ghost thing.

“Maybe…” Luke’s voice fades out as he puts the pen back in his mouth, humming some more.

* * *

The whole performance is something else; Reggie can feel the electricity between Julie and Luke, can almost imagine a bolt zipping between them. Horizontal lightning? Reggie shares a look with Alex as Luke plays his way over to Julie, matching smirks on their faces.

She's been ignoring him since they started singing, instead dancing to Reggie or singing to Alex. Completely excluding Luke. Something must have happened between their heated practice yesterday and tonight. When Luke leans in to share a mic or does a little head jerk to invite her over to his as they harmonize, she blatantly turns to Reggie or Alex or even Flynn in the audience. And completely misses his puppy dog eyes and his pout. Reggie knows that pout and Alex once described it as lethal. Reggie wanders over to Luke as he plays and gives him a smirk, looking between him and Julie… he only gets a glare in return.

So, he watches Luke play his guitar as he gives Julie, quote, "heart-eyes," unquote. One of Alex's modern words from his buddy, Willie. Although Alex's eyes go the same way Luke's are now looking at Julie whenever he talks about the other ghost. It's cute, seeing him so flustered after the amicable break-up between Alex and Luke that Reggie wasn’t supposed to know about. Whatever, they’re both over it and head over heels for new people, it seems.

And then Julie gets to the bridge. He does it. Luke actually does it. Reggie picks at his bass to stay visible, listening to the tiniest backbeat Alex keeps up next to him.

_I believe_

_I believe that we're just one dream_

_Away from who we're meant to be_

_That we're standing on the edge of great_

After every line of the bridge, Luke plays the echoing notes on his guitar. He’s looking right at her, giving her that crooked smile that could make anyone fall in love— Sunset Curve’s small group of fans, Alex, even Reggie, himself. Julie’s been trying so _hard_ during the performance to ignore Luke’s pull, that’s been obvious, but it seems even her will isn't strong enough. She gives him one of her adorable nose scrunch smiles and then stands on the piano to belt out the final chorus. Luke dances back to his mic, shooting Reggie and Alex a huge ‘did you see that, Julie just smiled at me’ look. Reggie can _feel_ Alex rolling his eyes behind them.

The song winds down with Julie sitting at her piano. The guys are supposed to poof out so she can finish the song alone but, when Alex and Reggie stop playing and poof into the garage, their instruments invisible once again now that they’re not in use, Luke isn’t with them. Alex slaps his shoulder and gestures to where Luke sits next to Julie on the piano bench. They can’t see them from the front, but their voices harmonize and echo through the whole area.

“ _T_ _here may be something there that wasn’t there before,_ ” Alex sings softly as he walks down from his drums to stand next to Reggie. The other boy turns to him and smiles, chuckles, as Luke poofs in next to him. He’s got his guitar slung over his shoulder and a huge smile on his face, stars in his eyes.

“Did you see that?” Luke stutters. “That… that was amazing. I stopped playing and people could still see me. And… and… and…” It’s cute, the way Luke’s brain has always been faster than his mouth when he gets emotional. Reggie and Alex have been deciphering Luke’s stuttered speech since they were kids. Luke obviously won’t admit it, but Reggie can listen between the sutters. He’s overwhelmed with all the _Julie_ he got at the end of the performance that, if they still had to breathe, he’d be hyperventilating. Or melt into a puddle on the floor.

“See, they just _ooze_ chemistry.”

Alex bops him on the head and Reggie glares, rubbing the spot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think of the fic! 
> 
> Tomorrow: Nick being a good friend while getting picked on by a ghost.


	3. We Go Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I don't care if the cold wind blows_  
>  _I don't care if the stars don't show_  
>  _You can say now and you can say never_  
>  _But as long as we're going somewhere_  
>  _We go together, together_  
>  \--- Fox and the Hound II, 2006

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nick and Julie work on their song project for Ms. Harrison which is actually a song Julie wrote for her hologram man, even though she won't admit it. He thinks Julie's house is haunted and win $10 from Flynn.
> 
> Staff paper is blank music paper where one would write notes corresponding to certain instruments or lyrics to be played/sung.
> 
> NOTE: I headcanon Nick as ace/grey-aro, so he has no romantic interest in Julie like on the show. This is probably the only part of canon I will be changing.

Nick likes hanging out with Julie, even though it’s different now. While she used to be awkward around him and there was the whole Carrie thing, now she’s either been avoiding him or always staring at something over his shoulder. Since Carrie broke up with him, Nick’s been doing some soul searching and figuring himself out between dance and music classes.

He gets paired with Julie to work on some kind of song pertaining to love, be it romantic or familial or friendship, for their Music Theory class with Miss Harrison and he’s actually really excited about it. They have a month to write a song but, as Nick watches Julie chews on her pencil eraser out of the corner of his eye, he knows that they’ll have this song done in probably two weeks. He’s not much of a writer, but he can usually compose super simple songs. Whereas, he _knows_ Julie must have written or helped write those songs she’s performing with her hologram band.

Once Miss Harrison tells them to get with their partners, he wanders over to where Julie’s sitting, taking Flynn’s vacant seat. “Hey, Julie,” he greets her with a smile. She beams back at him, doodling in the margins of her composition notebook. “You ready to rock this thing?”

She laughs. “Yeah.” She bites her lip and he watches her almost lovingly stroke the edge of the notebook. “Do you have any experience writing love songs?”

Nick scratches the back of his neck, shakes his head. “Naw.” He smiles nervously. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in love.”

“Well, it doesn’t have to be romantic,” she argues. “But, uh, I might have something.”

“Oh?” He leans over as she opens her notebook to a dog-eared page. There’s notes and doodles in the margins, a microphone, and a guitar, and some butterflies, and flowers drawn in different shades of glitter pen. Nick chuckles as he reads it over. “Something? You might have a whole song here.”

He watches a blush spread across Julie’s face and he smiles. It’s so much nicer when she’s not awkward around him, even though he does wonder what happened to make that go away. “It’s just a little something. Nothing’s finished yet.”

“Well, it’s really good.” There’s just lyrics on the page, but he can feel the emotion behind them. “It’s a duet?” he asks, noticing the different colors used to write certain parts of the song. He smiles. Remembers color-coded birthday binders when they were younger; Julie's always been a mess of chaotic organization. “When did you come up with this?”

She ducks her head and pulls at one of her curls. “You know how I ran out of dance that one time?” He nods. It had been kind of embarrassing; they had been dancing so well together so, when she’d run out, Nick wondered what he did wrong. “I might have been dreaming about someone else.”

“That guitarist from your hologram band?”

She opens and closes her mouth like a fish, her eyes wide. “Uh, _no_ ,” she says. He might be a jock, but he’s not stupid. He can read between the lines. “Pssshhhh, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“You wrote a song about a boy and a girl singing in harmony.” Nick taps her notebook. “We’ve never sung together, but you and that hologram guy have _major_ chemistry.” Watching the end of their garage performance… The electricity between them at the end had been almost palpable.

“Anyway,” she stretches out the word, “do you wanna come over after school and work on our song?” 

“Sure, but we’re definitely using yours. The lyrics are amazing, and I suck at songwriting.” He smiles at her as the bell rings. He’s got Chem and she’s got Math, so he won’t see her in any of his other classes. They don’t share a study hall, which sucks, but he’s never one to turn down a visit to the Molina household. Ray’s always got the best snacks and Carlos is pretty cool too. “If that’s okay with you.”

She nods as she slings her backpack over her shoulder. “Yeah, my dad can give us a ride home. Meet you outside after last bell?”

“Works for me.” He gives her a two-finger salute off his forehead and she giggles at him, clutching her notebook to her chest. “See ya, Molina.”

“Bye.”

Nick’s gotta admit, it’s so much nicer now that Julie’s not so awkward around him. He knows they’re gonna be great friends _and_ get an A on this project.

* * *

Is it weird to think that walking into the Molina household feels just like walking into his own house? Along with Flynn and Carrie, before they fractured, Julie’s household was their usual base of operation. Julie’s mom always had some kind of snack waiting when the four of them barreled through the door, most of the time landing in a pile just inside. She’s not there anymore, but Ray greets him with a hug as if he never stopped visiting. 

Nick heads past the fridge towards the kitchen and walks through a wall of cold. He shudders. Must be the AC or something, even though it’s not hot enough to be on. Julie shoots a look at something over his shoulder and he shakes his head, shrugs.

“So, you ready?” she asks as she sits down at the dining room table. She pulls her notebook out of her bag and cracks it open to her newest song. “Sorry we can’t go out to the garage today. There’s, um, a raccoon family living there and they’re not too friendly.” After a second, Nick watches as one of her curls bounces and she glares off to the side, wacks at the air with her hand, like she’s trying to hit something. A bug maybe?

“Uh, yeah, sure.”

They get to work on the song, Nick pulling out a few pages of staff paper so they can work on the notes and the harmonies. Ray comes over after about an hour to slide a plate of brownies and a bowl of carrots to them— always balancing out parenting with sweets, just like Julie’s mom used to do. Nick takes a brownie and lifts it to his mouth when he feels something hit his hand and the sweet goes flying.

“Um…”

He looks up just in time for Julie to give him a weak smile, her eyes full of something. It looks like anger or frustration, but her eyes are looking a little bit to his right and he doesn’t feel that she’s directing her ire towards him. Why she’s directing it at empty air confuses him, but she brings his thoughts back to her by pushing her notebook between them.

“So, I was thinking that this part…”

Julie’s hands move as she explains something about harmonies and where the drums and the bass and the guitar and piano would go. Nick puts his head in his hand, his elbow on the table, as he watches her. He remembers listening to Julie tell long made-up stories when they were younger; she and Carrie would dress up and perform for him and Flynn, making up songs and weaving themselves into the story through song and dance. Now she’s talking about harmonies and pretending to be friends while wanting more and it’s adorable.

“Has anyone told you you’re amazing, Julie?”

Julie’s eyes go wide and she blushes. “Uh, thanks?” She doesn’t look uncomfortable or like she’s about to blush herself to death. After their friend group split with Nick and Carrie going the way of the “popular” crowd while Julie and Flynn made themselves fade into the background— the crush that Julie had on him was weird. He’d grown up with her, seen her at her best and her worst. Now, to be laughing and joking with her again, like they used to… it’s so much nicer.

Nick yelps when something knocks his elbow out from under him. His chin almost smacks into the table. “What the fuck?”

“Luke,” Julie hisses under her breath, as if she didn’t mean for Nick to hear it. She gives him a weak, embarrassed smile. She’s been doing that on and off for the whole time— hissing at an invisible “Luke”— but he’s been ignoring it in favor of watching her gush about the song. Julie scrambles to her feet and blushes. “I’ve gotta get something from my room. I’ll, uh, be right back.” He watches her as she rushes up the stairs.

Was it something he said?

Nick feels like he’s not alone in the room, like someone’s watching him. But there’s no one when he looks over his shoulder, or into the kitchen. He remembers Ray saying something about going to run errands and Carlos being at baseball practice until after Nick has to leave, so he won’t see the younger boy. Nick remembers him, running underfoot and always asking to watch movies and snuggle in between Flynn and Carrie and babbling on to Nick about any sport he was currently interested in. So he’s alone in the house, the sound of Julie’s harsh whispering echoing from upstairs. As if she's talking to someone. Berating someone.

After a few minutes, Julie comes back down. She’s got her hair pulled back into a ponytail, curls spilling down her back and some shorter ones near her crown framing her face. She gives him a smile and wiggles a few fresh sheets of staff paper. She also has a pink sweatshirt on that she’s swimming in, and she shoves her chin into the fabric as she sits down. It looks like a men’s sweatshirt— old, smelling faintly of a mix of cologne and sweat.

“Nice sweatshirt.” He smirks. “Does it belong to _Perfect Harmony_ boy?”

She blushes. “No, it’s my friend Alex’s. He, uh, left it here last time he visited.”

“Oh, nice.” He grabs another sheet of staff paper and begins doodling on the edges with Julie’s lime green sparkly pen. “So, back to the song.”

Julie pushes the spotted composition notebook towards him.

“So, the boy starts the song,” she tells him as she sings the words under her breath, “and then I… I mean, the girl, sings the next part.” The color rises on her cheeks and Nick chuckles. Obviously, the song’s about Julie and this boy and she knows he knows that, but he doesn’t say anything. She’s either oblivious or denying her feelings, and he smiles, feelings like he's back in middle school. Trying to get Julie to spill about her crush.

“You wanna tell me about him?” Nick asks as he feels something poke his side. It feels like a finger, but he ignores it in favor of watching his friend, beaming. “I’m all ears.”

“You’re all smiles,” she retorts, rolling her eyes. She looks around the room like she can see something he can’t, before she turns back to him. “Uggg, fine. You’re almost as persistent as Flynn.” 

“Obviously.” She nudges him with her elbow and he laughs. He remembers talking with Flynn, painting each other’s nails and gossiping about when Julie was gonna grow a pair and ask Carrie out on a date back in middle school, coming up with elaborate schemes to get the two of them together. It never worked out, but it was fun.

“So…”

“Look, can we work on our song and I’ll text you tonight.” She looks around, as she’s been doing the entire time he’s been here. As if someone could walk in on them at any moment or is already in the room.

She smiles as they get back to work. He asks her to sing the melody she wants for the first female part because this song’s been stuck in her head since their gym dance.

_Here in front of me_

_Shining so much brighter_

_Than I have ever seen_

_Life can be so mean_

_But when he goes_

_I know he doesn’t leave_

It’s a beautiful melody, soft and sweet and romantic. He nods his head as he marks down the types of notes, has her sing it a few times to get everything down right. Her voice is beautiful, like an angel, and he kind of understands the male part of her song. She’s written both parts and whoever this guy is has probably told her that her voice is beautiful, which led her to those lyrics. She closes her eyes as she sings the chorus and really leans into it, the smile curling her lips as soft as her voice.

Whoever this guy is, he’ll be lucky to have Julie.

* * *

Nick gets a text later that night, after saying goodbye to Ray with a promise to stop by soon and a big hug from Julie. He’d walked through another cold spot on his way to his mom’s car and could feel someone glaring at him, as if not wanting him to come back.

JuJu: _So, about the guy in the song..._

Nick: _Finally. I thought you were never gonna tell me. Which guy in the band is it?_

JuJu: _How do you know it’s one of the guys in the band?_

Nick: _…_

JuJu: _What?_

Nick: _I’m just gonna guess until you tell me. And there’s only three people. Unless it’s secretly me._

JuJu: _LMAO, you wish._

Nick: _I’m offended. I’m a catch._

JuJu: _Sure, but I’m over you. I release you back into the sea._

Nick: _Why thank you, ma’am. *tips cowboy hat*_

JuJu: _Anyway…_

Nick: _You promised, JuJu. Don’t stall._

JuJu: …

Nick: _*puppy dog eyes*_

JuJu: _Fine. It’s the guitar player, okay?_

Nick: _I knew it! Flynn owes me $10._

JuJu: _Why would she owe you $10?_

Nick: _Because she bet me I couldn’t get you to tell me._

JuJu: _That little shit._

Nick and Julie keep talking until midnight. Nick reiterates that he’s broken up with Carrie, but that he’s doing a bit of soul searching right now instead of jumping back onto the dating train. When he says goodnight, he falls asleep with the hope that he’s got one of his best friends back. And he hopes hologram-Swedish-Luke appreciates the song whenever she decides to give it to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the original song for this chapter was You're Welcome from Moana, but none of the lyrics fit right. I couldn't help but imagine Nick dancing around Julie singing this song while poking fun at the fact that she's totally in love with her hologram boy. Another song choice was We're in Harmony from the same movie as the chosen song, but none of the lyrics fit without being romantic... even though the song is not about romance at all. And the chosen song is mostly about being friends, like Nick and Julie should be.
> 
> I hope you liked the chapter and I can't wait to hear what you think!


	4. A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Have faith in your dreams and someday_  
>  _Your rainbow will come smiling through_  
>  _No matter how your heart is grieving_  
>  _If you keep on believing_  
>  _The dream that you wish will come true_  
>  \--- Cinderella, 1950

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alex knows Julie's going to check the studio before she goes to bed. He hopes she doesn't find them dying. He hopes she doesn't have to look at them... at Luke... with those big brown watery eyes. If she does, he knows they'll suffer even more pain than that final jolt will probably give them.
> 
> And here's where we earn the T rating because Alex likes to swear.
> 
> Tomorrow: Carrie can see the way Juke looks at each other.

As soon as they finish singing at the Orpheum, Alex poofs away with Reggie and Luke. He doesn’t even think about it, just follows the tug of his best friends and death-mates. They end up back in the studio. His whole body aches, he feels like shit, and he hears Reggie give a watery cough and Luke groans somewhere near his head. They’ve all kind of dogpiled in front of what Alex can discern is the piano. Luke’s breath washes over his arm while Reggie’s leg digs into his spine. They’re dying all over again, but at least Julie’s okay. He has a fleeting thought about Willie before another jolt takes over, and he clutches the back of a chair just to keep himself up.

“Why the fuck did we come here?” he asks. Reggie lifts his head to give him a look; Alex knows he swears a lot when stressed, but he can't help it. “You know this is the first place she’s going to look.”

“No, she’ll go to sleep.” Luke’s voice cracks as another jolt passes through them. “We’ll be gone before the morning.”

“She’s gonna…” He pauses. Is it really worth spending what could be their last few moments together arguing? “Okay.”

He can hear muffled voices outside, the tune of _Stand Tall_ echoing through the air. A few minutes later, the singing dies down and the doors of the studio open. Through the haze of pain, Alex squints; he can see Julie standing there in the moon and fairy lights. She’s changed out of her poofy yet beautiful purple dress and back into high waisted jeans and a blue shirt with a white pattern on it. Julie takes a deep breath and sighs.

“I…” She sniffles. “I know I already said this but, uh, thank you, guys.”

Alex’s heart hurts for her. This wonderful, amazing girl took them in, played music with them. She lost her mom, lost the music, but they helped her find it again. Alex hopes she doesn’t lose it when they leave. If they keep silent, she’ll go back upstairs and won’t even have to know they’ve faded out right here in her studio.

And then Reggie has to open his big fat fucking mouth. “You’re welcome.”

Alex groans. He watches Julie scramble for the lights as Luke shouts, “Dude!” Alex rolls over, coughing, feels Luke grab his hand as he groans.

The blonde turns his head, watching as Julie towers over them as she storms over. Luke lifts his own head from his arm and squints at her. “Why… Why are you here?” she stutters out. It sounds just like Luke when he gets a little too emotional. “I… I thought…” He’s never seen Julie as emotional as he’s seen Luke or, but the fact that they’ve traded mannerisms like this is, frankly, adorable. 

Julie’s voice fades out as another painful jolt runs through Alex’s body. He feels Luke curl up beside him, Reggie’s knee knocks against his side. It feels like dying all over again, every time. Like there’s a shitton of acid in his stomach that shouldn’t be there, the clenching and the need to throw up that can’t happen because he’s a fucking ghost.

Alex can hear Julie’s breathing pick up, but he doesn’t have enough energy to go to her and help her through what might be a panic attack. “No…” she shouts, “no!” She sniffles. “I thought you crossed over. Why didn’t you cross over?”

Reggie’s the first one to get his feet under him, using the chair he’s dubbed as his to help him up. “I guess playing the Orpheum wasn’t our unfinished business,” Alex says as he clutches the amp and hauls himself up. His legs feel unsteady, like he could fall at any moment. God, this fucking sucks.

“Point, Caleb,” Reggie chimes in, cough rattling in his chest.

Julie’s eyes swing between the three of them, but Alex can’t look at her. Can’t see the tears in her eyes. The crack in her voice hurts enough as it is.

“We wanted you to think that we crossed over, so we pretended to,” Luke says after a moment. When Alex finally gets the courage to look at the singer, she’s looking at Luke with soft, sad brown eyes. She still hasn’t said anything, so Luke plows on. “We just…” The guitarist sniffles and shakes his head, voice broken. “We had nowhere else to go.” His voice fades out in a sob.

“We thought you’d go straight to bed,” Reggie, dumb lovable Reggie, says.

“Yeah, well, I knew she was gonna come out here, but nobody ever listens to me.” Alex needs to keep up that sarcasm. Give them a little bit of normalcy while they’re dying and Julie’s crying. But he can’t make Julie smile, especially as another jolt races through them. Julie whimpers.

“You have to save yourselves right now.” She hurries over to Reggie but pulls her hands away at the last minute. “Go join Caleb’s club. Please.” She flits from Reggie to Alex but, as always, finds her way back to Luke’s side. “It’s better than not existing at all.” Luke struggles to his feet; Reggie sits down on the arm of his chair, and Alex clings to the amp. “Please, just go. Go!” Julie races towards the barn doors, throws her arms wide. “Poof out! Do something! Please. Do it for me.” Her voice cracks on the words and Alex’s heart aches for her.

Reggie shakes his head. “We’re _not_ going back there.” Alex nods. _No fucking way._

Luke rests his hand on Alex’s shoulder before he makes his way over to Julie. All three boys are panting heavily. The jolts are getting closer and closer together and Alex wonders if that means it’s almost time. Luke takes a deep breath and sniffles. “No music is worth making, Julie,” Luke says in a soft voice, “if we’re not making it with you.” Alex hasn’t heard him use that voice since he, himself, came out when they were younger. He remembers Luke cupping his face and reassuring him that nothing would change. It’s the voice that makes Alex believe anything is possible. Now Luke is using it to reassure Julie, to say what Alex and Reggie can’t. Julie gave them back what little of life they could have after death, and they helped her rediscover music. “No regrets.” His voice shakes, unsteady.

Alex hears Julie choke out a sob, watches her shake her head. And then, something amazing happens. She launches herself into Luke’s arms and the blonde winces, waiting for the inevitable where Julie phases right through Luke. But it never happens. Luke folds her into his arms, wrapped so tight around her as if he wants to absorb her into himself. Alex can see tears streaming down Julie’s cheeks as she sobs, cries as she rests her chin against Luke’s shoulder. Looks at him and Reggie over the poofy fabric of the vest. “I love you guys.”

Alex, still clutching his side, leans against the piano, and Reggie’s lower lip wobbles, big fat tears filling his eyes and sliding down his cheeks. The blonde watches as Julie digs her fingers into Luke’s paisley blue vest and then does a double-take as the brunette starts glowing. And he’s _touching_ Julie.

She pulls away with a sniffle as Luke’s skin begins to glow golden. Her hands slide down his arms, and he stops her by clutching her hands. “How can I feel you?” she asks in wonder, voice breathy.

“I… I… I don’t know.” Alex can’t see Luke’s expression, but he sounds in awe, filled with the same kind of wonder that happened the first time he heard Julie sing. Alex still can’t believe Luke is touching Julie but, when he turns to look at Reggie, the other boy mouths, “Chemistry,” to him and he has to roll his eyes.

Alex’s heart burns as he thinks of Willie, watching Luke and Julie interact now. Luke holds Julie’s arms right below her elbows as she reaches up, cups his face in her hands. He responds by cupping her own face, his hands big enough to settle under her chin, thumbs brushing her cheeks. She wipes tears from his cheeks, and Alex wipes at his own. Reggie looks at him, lower lip still wobbling. “I…” he stammers, huffs out a disbelieving laugh. He takes both of Julie’s hands in one of his and Alex can’t see over his shoulder, but the way Julie inhales sharply makes him think that, somehow, Julie’s hands are pressing against Luke’s heartbeat. Or, you know, where it would be if they weren't dead. When he turns around, Alex is proven right. Julie looks at him and Reggie as Luke continues to glow like a fucking firefly, when he says, “I feel… stronger.”

Julie’s breathing speeds up as Reggie and Alex look at each other. She gets one hand out of Luke’s hold and beckons them over. “Alex, Reggie, come.”

And as Luke lets her hands go and she wraps her arms around Alex and Reggie, Luke opposite her, something begins to happen. Alex feels his skin burn, but it’s not painful. Where the jolts made him feel like he was burning from the inside out, this feels like sitting next to a warm fire on the beach after hanging out with friends. It feels like the adrenaline rush after a great performance, like dogpiling his best friends and watching a movie together, wrapped in warm blankets with buttered popcorn and hot cocoa.

After the tattoos fade and Alex gets one of the best hugs he’s had in 25 fucking years— maybe a little lower on the scale than Willie's— Reggie poofs upstairs to change. Alex lingers in the background, behind the piano. He knows the younger boy needs a little bit of space to process his emotions, so he remains at the bottom of the ladder. He can hear him, stomping around on the wooden slats. Alex leans his hip against the ladder and watches the scene in front of him. Luke and Julie, saying goodnight. They haven’t let go of each other, pressed together at some point to keep the contact. Eventually, however, Julie yawns so big her jaw cracks and Luke chuckles. He kisses her fingers, wishing her a whispered goodnight. Julie keeps her eyes on him until she knocks into the door, blushing to the roots of her hair, before she turns and bolts back to the house.

When Luke turns around, Alex smiles at him. 

“What?” he asks as he begins to untie the ribbon from around his bicep.

“So, now we can touch Julie, apparently.” Alex tugs at the edges of his jacket, unbuttoning it. He shucks the pink and grumbles as he picks at the white undershirt. Luke blushes almost as hard as Julie and Alex’s grin widens. He feels like the fucking Joker with all the smiling he’s doing.

“So?”

“So…” Alex rolls his eyes. He wishes he could bop Luke on the head like he did with Reggie last time. “So, that means you might actually have a shot with her.”

Luke rolls his eyes and tears off his own shirt, baring his chest to the world. Even though they broke up a long time ago, Alex can still say that Luke’s objectively hot. Not as hot as Willie, but whatever. “We’re still dead, Lex.” He hunches his shoulders, pouting. “It doesn’t matter, anyway.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Because she has the chance of being with a living boy who likes her.” He chuckles, but it’s the self-deprecating kind and Alex hates it. “We have an _interesting_ relationship, but it’ll never work long term.”

“Dude, you sound like me,” Alex responds, slaps his arm. It feels warm, still a little glowy after Julie’s magic touch. “And no one should sound like me.” He grumbles a little bit, nose wrinkling. “You two— fucking hell— you two _ooze_ chemistry.” Luke chuckles and his lopsided smile’s back. “Don’t let something like a heartbeat stop you from what you love. It didn’t stop you from making music, did it?”

“No.” He opens his mouth to say something else when Reggie pokes his head out the exit of the loft.

“If you two are done talking about Luke’s crush on Julie the size of Canada, I think I found more of our stuff up here. Comfy stuff. Like PJs.” He’s beaming from ear to ear and Luke swears as he poofs up to the loft to give Reggie a nuggie. Alex takes his time to actually climb up the ladder, turning to look over his shoulder where Julie disappeared. He hopes Luke takes his advice and actually follows through because the way the singer looked at him when she thought they were going to die… He doesn’t think he’s ever going to forget that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, the end scene gave me so many emotions. I was debating whether to have this scene be in either Julie or Luke's POV, but I wanted an outside perspective. I love writing Alex's POV and seem the most comfortable with him.
> 
> Let me know what you think!


	5. Into the Unknown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _You're not a voice_  
>  _You're just a ringing in my ear_  
>  _And if I heard you, which I don't_  
>  _I'm spoken for I fear_  
>  \--- Frozen 2, 2019

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Carrie doesn't hate Julie and has accepted that Julie might hate her. And seeing her up there, making heart eyes at the guitarist...

Contrary to popular belief, Carrie doesn’t _hate_ Julie. She's never hated Julie… no matter how much she's tried over the past year. They just deal with their emotions very differently. Julie abandoned music when her mom died, withdrew into a shell of darkness only Flynn was allowed to penetrate. Carrie, on the other hand, put up walls and grew fangs and tore into anything that could help her through the grief when her mom left. Nick stayed, for a while, but he's gone too and she's all alone.

She doesn't blame Flynn for calling her a demon or Julie trying her hardest to respond to Carrie's mean quips with her own that fall flat. She deserves them. 

She watches Julie now, on a famous stage that not even her dad's played on. She's alone, no hologram band in sight, but she's still singing her heart out. She sings about standing tall and dreaming and loving every minute, and Carrie can't help but drown in her voice. 

Out of everyone, Julie's always been the best singer, even if Carrie loathes to admit it. Powerful soul-stealing vocals, runs that make shivers race down your spine, and a voice like angels singing.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the blonde appears behind his drums and starts playing, as if he'd been there the whole time, just waiting for his cue. Julie looks shocked, however, to see him there. She jumps a little when the black-haired bass player appears next. Her eyes look watery, but she keeps singing. Carrie hears the leather couch shift beside her and turns to watch her dad lean forward, eyes wide as they switch between looking at the drummer and the bassist. Like he's seen a ghost. Or two.

_And it's one, two, three, four times_

Carrie watches at the last of the hologram band flickers in and out of view. Julie's face crumples every time he disappears. He flickers in tune with the song and he looks like he's in pain, hunched over even as he plays. Carrie watches as Julie continues to belt out the lyrics, can see the shine in her eyes from this far away. The guitarist stumbles and then looks like he’s in pain, like something’s tearing him apart. Carrie doesn’t know him, but she sees out the corner of her eye, her dad’s fists clenched in a white-knuckle grip around the fabric of his scarf. It’s like… he knows them, or something.

She shakes her head— she can deal with her dad later— and turns back to Julie just as the hologram stabilizes and he belts out, “ _I'm going out of my mind_.” His voice perfectly melds with Julie, and Carrie smiles behind her hand as Julie bounces off the piano bench and over to him. She explodes with energy and Carrie finds her breath catching at the way the guitarist looks at her. Julie’s energy washes over the audience like a wave as soon as he stays— must have been a bad connection on his end. She jumps around the stage like she just drank ten Kool-Aids, which she’s done before at a sleepover.

The bassist follows Julie to the front extension of the stage, singing and playing back-to-back. Carrie can feel the jealousy burn within her, but it’s not a raging inferno like it usually does when Julie outshines her. Instead, it’s like a fireplace. Contained, but still dangerous.

The music goes soft as the drummer stands up. When he sings, Carrie feels something resonate within her. Like something in her is pulling her towards the blonde. It’s weird and she has no idea who he is, but there’s a connection there. She shakes her head and forces herself to pay attention. 

Julie dances over to the guitarist and the two begin to sing together. Their voices rise in harmony and he steps forward and she steps back, traveling to the extended front of the stage. Julie presses her back against his front and they share the mic. It’s romantic and sweet and Julie’s looking up at him with the same puppy dog eyes she tried to hide from Carrie back in elementary school. They’re singing to the audience… but it also feels like they’re singing only to each other.

_I'ma stand tall_

The song ends, their voices fading out with the last of the backbeat, and the four of them stand in front of the audience, the drummer and the guitarist holding hands while Julie stands in the middle, the bassist on her other side. She doesn’t reach for them, probably because they’re holograms and can’t touch her, but the four of them bow together. Carrie’s jealousy settles in her chest for a minute, the glow on Julie’s face and the excitement in her eyes and the way she blushes a little when guitar boy leans in to whisper something in her ear. She looks a little sad at the same time, but she turns and smiles up at him with so much emotion in those dark eyes.

The boys disappear without a sound mid-bow and Julie’s eyes shine with tears, even through the thunderous applause. Something in Carrie breaks for Julie as she looks around, as if the boys will poof back in at any moment. She’s on her feet and clapping with the rest of the crowd, trying to ignore her father’s white-as-a-sheet face and Julie’s sad eyes as she scans over everyone’s faces. Looking for something. Or someone.

* * *

Julie’s sitting alone in the music room a few days after the Orpheum. She’s talking to someone, and Carrie notices her phone set on top of the piano. When she cranes her neck, she notices the other girl hasn’t called anyone and she can’t hear a voice coming out of the speaker. Yet Julie’s interacting like someone’s there.

“Hey,” Carrie calls from the door. Julie looks up, eyes wide, and scrambles for her phone. She whispers to someone that she’s gotta go and shoves her phone into the pocket of the pink hoodie she’s wearing. It looks like a guy’s baby pink Champion hoodie, soft and comfortable, and Julie’s drowning in it. It reminds her of the blue one with that spaceship she stole from Nick when they were in 8th grade and still has it in the back of her closet. “Can I… can I come in?” It’s a public space, but Carrie’s already stepped on Julie enough, especially in this room, to want to let the other girl control the interaction.

“I don’t know,” Julie retorts, “are you gonna insult me again?”

Carrie kind of hunches in on herself, trying to make herself look smaller, as she shrugs. After a second, Julie kicks out the chair next to her and gives Carrie a strained smile. The brunette puts her backpack down and sighs. She wrings her fingers and fiddles with the edge of her designer dress. She stares at Julie in her ripped skinny jeans and her comfortable hoodie that smells of honeysuckle and a little bit of sweat every time the other girl moves. It’s comfortable, comforting, and she can understand why Julie buries her nose in the collar of the sweatshirt.

“So…” Julie’s looking at her, expectantly.

Carrie didn’t have a plan when she saw Julie picking at the piano keys. Just the strongest urge to go in there and talk to her. It was almost there was something guiding her, a hand in hers, pulling her towards her old friend.

“I’m sorry,” Carrie says in a whisper. “I shouldn’t have come in.” She says it, but the words taste sour in her mouth. There’s a ghostly pressure on her shoulders, hands holding her down. She doesn’t feel scared, knows that she’ll be let go if she stands up. But they’re like a comfort to her. Julie’s smiling at something over her shoulder before turning back to her. Carrie clears her throat and begins again. “I… I saw your performance. At the Orpheum.”

“Oh,” Julie’s smile fades, “I didn’t know you were there.”

“Yeah,” she nods, “my dad saw your garage performance and wanted to come. He got me a ticket.”

“That was, uh, nice of him.”

“You were… amazing.” Carrie doesn’t sugarcoat or try to hide the awe in her voice. “And so brave.”

“Thank you,” Julie replies and gives Carrie the smallest of smiles. “I didn’t think the guys were going to show up.” She takes a deep breath. “And then they did.”

They’re by no means friends again, but something is bubbling up inside Carrie. Not jealousy, no, but something locking into place. Carrie _misses_ Julie. Misses the strong pull of her gravity and her smile and the way she looks at the world through her music. Through every sound that comes across her path. Carrie misses Flynn and her everlasting smile and her positive, yet cynical nature. She misses Nick and the four of them hanging out, dogpiled in the Molina’s living room, gossiping about the latest celebrities and crushes.

“You and that guitarist have great chemistry, you know,” Carrie says after a few minutes of both girls not knowing what to do with themselves. Julie fiddles with her phone, probably keeping Flynn updated about what’s happening. The hands on Carrie's shoulders loosen but stay hovering over her, like they’re attached to a silent sentry. Julie looks over her shoulder like she can see who’s there, but Carrie focuses on talking. “When you were singing together… well, it looked like magic.”

Julie blushes. Carrie knows they’re not at the stage where they can gossip like they could before. But Carrie’s been pushing Julie’s buttons for so long that even this teasing feels natural if a little bit off the typical path they’ve been on for the last year.

“Oh, that’s, uh, that’s Luke.” She fiddles with the edge of the sweatshirt, curling her hands into the sleeves to make them look like paws. It’s adorable. “He plays the guitar.”

“I know,” Carrie says. “He’s really into you.”

“Oh, no.” Julie shakes her head, that blush spreading to her neck. Sure, her skin is darker and she once told Carrie that it means people can’t see her blush as easily, but that’s stupid because everyone blushes, and Julie’s no different. Julie ducks her head and pushes a strand of hair behind her ear. “We’re just, well, Flynn calls us musical soulmates. So, we’re just _really_ good at making music together.”

Carrie shakes her head. “The way he looks at you… I wish someone would look at me like that.” The admission spills out before she can swallow it and she looks at Julie, feeling as vulnerable as she did when her mother left. She remembers Julie coming over and burrowing under the covers with her, singing softly to her while her dad was too busy going to therapy and trying to recreate the success he had with his first album. The hand on her shoulder squeezes and she sighs. “He looks at you like you’re the sun.” 

“Oh.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Carrie and I really want her an Alex to have some sort of friendships in season 2. Also, Carrie might be a bitch, but I wanted her to not be a total bitch.
> 
> Tomorrow: +1 Juke Moment


	6. Love Will Find a Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I know love will find a way_  
>  _Anywhere I go, I'm home_  
>  _If you are there beside me_  
>  _Like dark, turning into day_  
>  _Somehow we'll come through_  
>  _Now that I've found you_  
>  _Love will find a way_  
>  \--- The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, 1998

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Julie can't sleep, so she sneaks out to the backyard to stare at the stars alone. Instead, she finds Luke in the hammock with open arms, a warm hoodie, and a silly story. What more could she ask for?

Julie can’t sleep.

She glances at the clock that sits on the table close to her bed and makes a face at the time flashing unrepentantly at her. It’s closer to morning than night at this point, but it’s still dark outside. She rubs a fist against her eyes and yawns, tries to snuggle back under the covers. After a few minutes of closing her eyes and trying to fall back asleep, she huffs and kicks off the blankets.

She puts on her big paw slippers and wiggles her toes. If she can’t sleep, she’s going to keep up the tradition she had with her mom before she died. Whenever Julie couldn’t sleep, she’d wake up her mom and the two of them would crawl into the hammock and sing songs until Julie could.

She opens her door and sneaks down the stairs, avoiding the creaky floorboards, and makes her way out the back door. The moon’s full tonight, fat and silver, and hangs like a perfect circle in the sky. She can see beads of dew on the grass, can feel the bottom of her slippers getting a little damp, but she pays it no mind as she makes her way over to the hammock in the back corner of the yard, pulled out a little bit from the shade it’s usually under.

Julie rubs at her eye again to get some of the crust out and blinks when she notices a big shoe hanging off the side of the hammock, flicking back and forth to keep the rocking motion going. Whoever’s there hums a tune and, as Julie gets closer, she can make out Luke. He has his eyes closed, that ugly orange and black and grey flannel crumpled in a ball under his head, his hands tucked underneath. As she gets even closer, she recognizes the song he’s humming as _Nightswimming_ by R.E.M.

She remembers her dad playing R.E.M. in the car sometimes, remembers how Carlos would pass out during the softer songs. Now, she stands at the edge of the hammock and watches him, humming a song from her childhood. He opens his eyes when her hand reaches out to gently stop the swinging and gifts her one of those big goofy smiles of his, a little lopsided but warm.

“Can’t sleep?” Luke asks. He tries to scoot over on the hammock and yelps when it wobbles, his hands grabbing the edges to steady himself. She giggles, covering her mouth with her hands, and gets another smile in return. Sometimes, Julie doesn’t understand their ghost magic. They can sit or lay down on things, but can’t pick them up without complete focus. They can’t eat, but the boys are always complaining about being hungry; although that might just be the three of them. She couldn’t touch them before, but she can now. She doesn’t understand it but she’s grateful.

“Yeah.” She holds the hammock with one hand and sits down. She slides back until she feels steady enough to swing her feet up. For a moment, she’s worried her hand’s gonna go right through Luke’s chest as she steadies herself, but instead, he’s as solid as if she was cuddling up to Flynn during sleepovers. He sighs against her and he doesn’t give off any warmth; in fact, as a ghost, he might even be a little colder. There were those few minutes of warmth during the hug that saved them, but they haven’t held any heat since.

“Everything okay?”

Julie sighs and curls into his side, her head on his shoulder. “Just can’t sleep.” She feels him tug on a few of her messy curls, rising with his chest as he inhales. Alex once explained that they didn’t _need_ to breathe anymore, but do it anyway because it’s comfortable. Sometimes Julie forgets that the boys are dead because of how much _life_ spills out of them with every interaction. The poofing and walking through doors are just a bonus.

“I can’t sleep either,” he admits. “Not that we can as ghosts but, you know.” He shrugs and it makes her head move up and down. She glares up at him and he chuckles.

A cool breeze rustles the trees above them and Julie shivers. Since Luke runs cold because, you know, he’s dead, feeling him against her doesn’t help with the chill.

“Here.” Julie blinks as Luke pulls the flannel out from behind his head and drapes it over her upper body. She curls her legs against his calves, hooking one of hers over his. She pulls the flannel up until it’s covering her arms and she’s thankful for the sweats she decided to put on before she came out here. Even though Luke gives off no body heat, his flannel warms up in a few seconds. She buries her nose in it, inhaling as subtly as she can, but she can still feel Luke chuckling against her head where his chin rests in her hair.

Unlike before, when the boys didn’t smell like anything but a hint of sweat and must from their clothes, they’ve become like flowers and bloomed. The boys themselves don’t smell like anything but their clothes, once worn, take on whatever they smelled like in life. Luke’s flannel smells like a warm blend of bergamot, mahogany, and a delicate veil of musk. It smells like home and Julie blushes at the thought.

“You wanna hear a story?” Luke asks after a few minutes of silence, beyond the bugs and the cars rumbling by every so often.

Julie hums in response.

“Okay, um, well…”

“Did you have a story planned, or were you just hoping I’d fallen asleep already?”

He chuckles nervously and tugs at one of her curls. "So mean." But his voice is softer, like it was when he was reassuring her that he and the boys had no regrets about meeting her. He might not be warm, but his voice is. And his eyes when he looks down at her, hazel and shining in the moonlight. "Can I tell my story now?"

"Fine," Julie grumbles, letting out an exaggerated sigh, but smiles when Luke rolls his eyes in a very Alex-like way.

" _Anyway_ ," he pauses dramatically as if waiting for her to interrupt again before he continues, "once upon a time, there was a beautiful goddess."

"Not even one sentence and it sounds cheesy already."

"Molina."

"Sorry." Julie shuts her mouth and pretends to lock her lips and throw away the key. His chuckle rumbles against her ear, pressed where his heart should beat if he was alive.

"Once upon a time, there was a goddess."

"Goddess of what?"

"Jules, if you keep interrupting, I'm gonna flip this hammock and leave you here."

She giggles.

"She was the goddess of music."

“Wow, how original.” 

“Oh hush.” He puts his finger over her lips and she smiles against him.

“So, one day, the goddess was wandering around the mountains between her palace in the clouds when she came across three mortals. No one had ever climbed as high as they had; usually, the people stayed at the bottom of the mountain, left offerings, and played basic tunes during festivals. The climb up the mountain was treacherous, getting steeper and steeper as you went up. So the mortals were close to death.”

“Oh, no.”

“Oh, yeah. So she takes them back to her castle and nurses them back to health.”

"Hey, wait, this sounds familiar…"

"Nope. This is a completely made-up story."

"Liar." Luke shifts his weight and, even though he’s a ghost, the hammock still rocks. Julie yelps and clings to his bicep, pressing closer to his side. When Luke’s laugh rings out clear in the night, the sound rumbling against her cheek. “You’re an ass.”

“Yeah, but it’s a nice ass.” He grins at her and she gets this weird bubbling feeling in her stomach. She has the urge to lean up and kiss his stupid smiling mouth, but she buries her face against his shoulder instead. She’s alive, he’s dead. She shouldn’t be having thoughts like this about a ghost, no matter how cute it is. She pinches his shoulder in retaliation for the feelings he’s giving her and his brows furrow into that sad puppy dog look. “Okay, are you done being annoying? Can I finish my story?” She giggles again and nods.

“Finish retelling the story of how we met.”

“That’s not what this is… okay.” He scowls at her. “So, as I was saying, the goddess takes the three mortals up to her palace. She cleaned their wounds and helped them heal. Since she had been lonely up on the mountain and her palace had been silent for centuries, she allowed them to stay.”

“And they lived happily ever after?”

“So the goddess taught the mortals how to play her instruments. They were magical instruments that would play the most beautiful music, whatever kind the user wanted. For the first time in a long time, music filled the halls of the palace. And so the mortals spent the rest of their days with the goddess, making music in thanks.”

“But they’re going to die?”

Luke shakes his head. “No, the goddess loved them so much, she made them immortal. Each of them became the master of their instrument and went down to the people to teach them to play. And that’s how music spread throughout the land.”

Julie blinks slowly at him. He gives her that lopsided smile and she has no choice but to smile back. This dumb boy with his dumb story and his beautiful hazel eyes and his smile and… Julie snuggles further under the flannel and curls her finger around Luke’s arm. 

“Thanks for the story,” she whispers. _Even if you did bullshit the hell out of it._

He nods and tucks his nose back into her hair. Julie feels him playing with her curls again and it lulls her into a sense of peaceful serenity. She closes her eyes and sighs. Unconsciously, she begins to hum the first verse of the song she’s been working on with Nick. It’s about Luke and she’s with Luke, so the melody just slips out.

“What’re you humming?” Luke’s voice breaks her out of her little trance and her face feels like it’s on fire. She covers her face with the flannel and shakes her head. “Jules, come on.” He lifts the corner of the fabric so that he can see her face, that goofy smile still there. “Is that the song you’ve been working on with Nick?” She hums an affirmative. “So, who’s it about?"

“Oh, it’s, uh, nobody you know.” She looks him right in the eye, trying not to be nervous. But _fuck_ that smile is so damn disarming and she kind of doesn’t want to keep it from him.

"You wouldn’t tell him while I was around.” Before she can open her mouth to respond, however, Luke continues, “Do you have a crush on me, Molina?”

She pushes the flannel down until it’s around her shoulders. She pushes up, making the hammock wobble a bit, before she puts her hands on either side of Luke's head. “I’d say you’re the one who has a crush on me, Patterson,” she retorts and she looks up at him. Freezes. She can see every single green and brown fleck, every single explosion of gold in his eyes with how close they are. They sparkle in the fairy lights her mom hung up across the top of the fences. She can feel his breath against her lips, how her own shudders in her chest.

“Jules?” Luke’s voice is so low that it’s like there’s nothing outside of this little bubble they’ve created in the stillness before the sun rises and everything wakes up. “Can I kiss you?”

Julie feels her stomach swoop. She’s never kissed anyone before. Sure, she’s had crushes: Carrie, Nick, a few celebrities because who hasn’t. But this is real. Luke’s staring up at her with soft eyes, his fingers still playing with the dangling ends of her hair. Nothing else moves. She realizes he’s letting her decide. This isn’t one of those TV moments where the two leads grab each other and just mash their faces together or the boy just grabs the girl and plants one on her.

“Yes,” she whispers after a few moments of contemplation.

Luke leans up, one hand cupping the back of her neck to bring her down to him, and presses his lips against hers. It’s like one of those butterfly kisses, barely any pressure and so gentle. There’s no heat in the kiss and there’s no warmth like a living person’s lips would probably have, but Julie wouldn’t change it for the world. It’s perfect. He pulls away after a few seconds and smiles at her, that lopsided one she loves so much. Her stomach flutters like there are butterflies trapped inside and she squirms a little against him, settles against his chest again, and brings the flannel up to her chin.

She doesn’t know where they’re going to go from here, but as Luke sighs softly and presses a kiss against her forehead, Julie can’t wait to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're so in love and I want see soft Juke in s2. And, while we can't get a first kiss on the show (yet), I wanted to write something super soft and simple. I hope you like it, Chloe!
> 
> So, usually this is where a 5+1 ends... but I couldn't help myself and added an extra chapter from Luke's POV that will be out tomorrow.


	7. If I Never Knew You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _If I never knew you_   
>  _If I never felt this love_   
>  _I would have no inkling of_   
>  _How precious life can be_
> 
> _And if I never knew you_  
>  _I would never have a clue_  
>  _How at last I'd find in you_  
>  _The missing part of me_  
>  \--- Pocahontas, 1995

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Julie have a soft moment on the Santa Monica boardwalk, from Luke's POV. He's so in love with Julie.

Luke doesn’t get cold anymore, but he can tell by the way that some of the lifers on the boardwalk shiver a little bit that it’s chilly. The lights from the midway and the rides ripple in the ocean. Luke sighs, rests his forearms on the metal railings and stares up at the clouds overhead. He can hear the cheers and screams of the lifers and ghosts enjoying a night out. Julie, on a whim, decided to take them and Flynn to Santa Monica to celebrate the end of the semester. Willie and Alex disappeared halfway through the car ride and Luke assumes they’re making out somewhere in the shadows. Reggie and Flynn have been vibing hard since they discovered lifers close to Julie could see them, even when she wasn’t around. The younger girl had dragged Reggie off to “use his ghostly powers to beat the carnie games,” which definitely sounds illegal, but the bassist’s wide eyes and huge grin stopped Luke from saying anything.

The boardwalk creeks behind him and he’s so in tune with her that he can hear every sound she makes over the loud noises coming from every direction of the amusement park. He lets out a low breath as a pair of arms wrap snugly around his waist, a face pressing into the hollow between his shoulder blades. Luke feels a hot breath brush against his back, even through his flannel, and his lips curl up into a smile. Sometimes he still can’t believe he and Julie can touch like they do, how much warmth she gives him, even if he can’t keep it.

“Everything okay?” he asks.

“You disappeared,” she says. Luke looks down to see her sparkly purple nail polish chipping off, the bangles on her arms, her perfect piano-playing fingers. “I looked for you everywhere.” She curls her fists into the front of his shirt and huffs.

“Just had to get away from the crowd,” Luke says as he drops his eyes to look at the expanse of ocean, the endless waves hitting against the pier. It’s quiet and familiar and stunning. He’s never felt as connected to the ocean and the beach as Reggie, but he can admire its beauty. “Walking through lifers is still weird. You okay?”

Julie’s head nuzzles into his back. “Just missed you.”

Luke shifts so he can run his hand over the soft skin of Julie’s arm, right above her many bracelets. “Sorry.”

“S’okay.” He thinks Julie drops a kiss there between his shoulder blades. He can't feel her lips, but he can feel the warmth she presses into the fabric of his flannel. “You okay?”

Luke considers that for a moment and then spins in the circle of her arms. Julie leans away slightly to allow the movement, her hair curling and flowing down over her shoulders. She’s wearing a crop-top with the words 'Beach Please' on it and high-waisted jeans. Her skin is awash in rainbow colors, her eyes warm and soft and heart-achingly sweet, making the expression she fixes on Luke gentle.

“Mm,” Luke hums in affirmation, taking in the sight before him, slowly appraising and admiring and committing it to memory. He raises a hand and lays it on the curve of Julie’s cheek, brushing his thumb along the crest of the bone. It still feels like a dream sometimes, that Julie looks at him like this. That he can even touch her like this, that they even met with more than 25 years between his death and now. The muted pastel colors of the setting sun give the moment a hazy quality and the only thing he’s really sure of is the dark, shimmering brown of Julie’s eyes beneath cotton-candy clouds.

Julie flushes under the intense attention but doesn’t waver. “You sure?” She rubs her small palm up and down Luke’s back, nose slightly wrinkled, frowning, as she waits for confirmation. “You look kind of broody.” She chuckles and he can feel it where she’s pressed against his chest. “That’s more Alex’s territory, don’t you think?”

Luke is quiet for a long moment as his lips curl up with the joke, one arm slowly wrapping around Julie, the other hand still pressed to her cheek. He takes the time to appreciate the warmth of Julie against him, the only warmth he’s had since he died and the only warmth he ever wants to feel again.

It’s still amazing to him that he’s here, with this girl, his bandmates somewhere in the throng of lifers and ghosts behind them. Julie smiles up at him, brushing her thumb against the bare skin at the top of his spine, right under his hair. If he closes his eyes, he can imagine a world where he and Julie are just a pair of teens, standing at the edge of the pier, both alive. He can’t imagine what Julie looks like to those that don’t know her. Hand cupping air, leaning against nothing. It sucks.

“You ever think about running away with me?” Luke murmurs, heart full to bursting when Julie leans into his touch. He knows it’s not possible and she would never leave her friends and family… but if they were both alive back in ‘95 and he’d met her then and _not_ died, he might have asked her to run away with him and the band.

Those brown eyes meet his with shades of amusement hidden inside. Luke loves that about Julie. He’ll have a fleeting thought and want to chase it to whatever conclusion, and Julie will just smile and nod and pay attention and encourage him to speak his mind. It’s what makes them such an amazing team, songwriting or otherwise. “Where would we go?”

“I don’t know.” Luke shrugs and she smiles at him, eyes twinkling. Her curls bounce when she shakes her head in fond exasperation, and he moves his hand to run through the ends of her hair, dark against his skin.

“We could go home?” She throws a thumb over her shoulder and he rolls his eyes. 

Julie leans her body more heavily into him, still pressing her face into Luke’s hand with unadulterated affection. “At the risk of sounding disgustingly cheesy,” Luke says, “and hopelessly in love with you— which you know I already am— you are my home, Julie.”

He’s never said that out loud before. The thing about love, but it's true. It’s only been a few days since their first kiss, a little while longer since the Orpheum and the thought of taking his last ghost-breath staring into Julie’s beautiful eyes. She's his home as much as Reggie and Alex are… maybe even more so. Luke thinks he’s been in love with her since that first night, fierce as anything and demanding answers through her fear, or maybe when she first opened her mouth and sang with the voice of an angel. Her eyes sparkle now, full of emotions. She grins a little, her cheek settling so well into the palm of Luke’s hand. “You’re such a softie.” And he’s not even going to deny it to keep his bad-boy image. Whatever’s left of it anyway.

Luke moves his hand from Julie’s face, lets it travel down to her waist before resting there and keeping her snug against his chest, finding Julie suddenly quite irresistible. Without reply, he leans in and gives her a peck on the cheek, and Julie accepts it with a hum of approval.

The noise of the crowd and the rides and the midway fades away as Julie blinks up at him. She’s always been beautiful to him, _always_ , but there’s something about her here, in the moonlight and the polluted LA sky and Santa Monica pier lights, that just makes her ethereal. She seems to be examining him the same way, reaching up to push some of the hair blown into Luke’s face by the wind away with a gentle hand.

“You look beautiful,” he tells her, the words slipping out as easy as breathing. He smiles at her, tucking a stray lock behind her ear. “As usual.”

“Charmer,” Julie mumbles into his hand.

“One of these days, I’m gonna take you out on a date. A real one.”

“Oh?” She chuckles, eyebrow-raising, and he knows she’s making fun of him.“And how do you plan to woo me? How do you know I’ll even say yes?”

Luke shrugs one shoulder nonchalantly. “In one of my band tees. I see the way you look at my arms, Jules. I’m dead, not blind.” He flexes as much as he can while still holding onto her.

There’s a pause then as Julie peers up at him before patting his shoulder, which ends with her squeezing his bicep, other arm still wrapped tight around his waist. “Yeah,” she says, just a little bit breathless. “Yes, that’ll work.”

The distracted tone of her voice has Luke breaking into a grin. “You’re too easy, Molina.”

Julie’s cheeks darken in color, just a bit. “Shut up! It’s not my fault you look really hot in a nice band shirt. Especially since you cut off all the sleeves. You know exactly what you’re doing, so don’t even go there with me.” The words are accusatory but Julie’s expression is halfway to love-struck; Luke feels it deep under his skin, too. She pokes his bicep before rolling her eyes and snuggling back into him, her warmth like wave washing over him.

After a few moments of just staring at each other, the mirth in Julie's eyes settling into something softer, Luke leans down and presses his forehead to Julie’s, suddenly serious. “Hey,” he whispers into the night air, feeling Julie’s warmth against his lips. His breaths feel heavier in his chest as his heart thrums at the proximity, at the fullness and lightness of being allowed to be like this, with Julie. He takes a deep breath, imagining that she'd smell like some kind of flower or sweet fruit. Luke mourns the loss of his sense of smell now that he's a ghost because burying his face in Julie's curls feels just a smidge emptier without that added bonus.

"Luke?" Julie's voice seems to shake with emotion, curious.

"You… you just make me want to kiss you." The words spill out of his mouth, stuttered, before his brain can catch up, and he watches as Julie's face and neck flush with color. 

“Well, what's stopping you?” Julie asks softly, teasingly, running a hand up to press at the hollow between Luke’s shoulder blades.

"I don't know." He smiles down at her as he leans in, ghosting his lips over Julie’s for a moment. Before Julie can respond, he presses in more firmly, sealing their mouths together.

Julie sighs into him, immediately going pliant and soft in the circle of Luke’s arms, as though she’s finally getting something she’s been waiting for, a pleased little sound rumbling deep in her chest. Luke gentles a little, pulling back to press soft kisses to Julie’s cheeks and her chin and her eyelids and back to her mouth. He slides his hand just under her t-shirt to press to the bare skin her crop-top shows off, settling against the warmth of her spine, high enough to be respectful.

She pulls back with a little squeak and glares at him. “You’re ice cold,” she accuses but without any heat and eyes sparkling with mirth. "It's getting chilling out here, Patterson, and—"

Her voice cuts out in a yelp as Luke leans in and nuzzles against Julie’s neck, pressing what he knows is his cold nose against her skin. “But you’re warm,” he mumbles, peppering gentle kisses there. 

She giggles and squirms in his arms, but he can tell she doesn’t actually want to get free. “Luke, it’s cold,” Julie whines again, but she tips her head back and grabs at the back of Luke’s shirt again as if to ground herself. “We should probably go find Reggie and Flynn before they cause too much chaos. Or get Flynn arrested."

Luke makes a growly noise of discontent into the curve of Julie’s throat and pulls away for a moment. He pulls open the front of his orange and grey and black flannel, guiding Julie’s arms under the material. She shivers the moment her skin touches his; Luke knows his skin’s cold, but he knows she’ll warm the fabric up fast. After a moment, he watches her as she snuggles into the material and sighs, pressing her nose into the collar. Luke wraps his arms around her and she noses against his neck, her hair soft against his face.

“Noooo.” He groans and Julie shivers against him. “Reggie-and-Flynn-wrangling. God, that sounds awful.” Luke feels her chuckle against his neck. 

Julie sighs and tilts her head to nuzzle at Luke’s cheek, scratching her nails against the baby hairs near Luke's neck be as the wind teases the ends of Julie’s ponytail. She shivers again. “You really do wanna run away with me, huh? Just leave them here, causing chaos all night long? Make Alex clean up the mess?”

“Yeah,” Luke admits shamelessly, pulling at the ends of where his flannel wraps around Julie, plucking at one of the buttons. He presses closer, can feel the warmth against his cold skin. Julie seems to like that, leaning in heavily, no longer putting up a pretense about trying to go find their friends within the crowd of the pier. Luke likes it too, likes the heat and the warmth and just being able to remind himself that this is somehow very, very real. He might be dead and she’s alive, but it’s inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. He remembers Julie whispering to him in the backyard the night of their first kiss about how real he was to her, that he was more than just ‘cute air.’ How, in the end, she’d wanted him to be real so badly that she was able to latch onto him instead of falling right through him. He can still feel her warmth surrounding him from that first moment.

Luke buries his nose back in her hair, feels her fingers clench onto the back of his shirt. 

“Can we just stay here for a little while?” Julie asks, a little breathless, and she’s barely even been kissed yet. She slides her hands up under Luke’s flannel, his shirt slowly, warming him up in a way only she can. He feels her fingernails tap against each node of his spine; she’s playing him like she does the piano. Luke shivers under her touch and smiles down at her, pulling her close and hugging her to him, bending down to bury his face in her neck. He presses a kiss there and feels her make a small noise before he hears it, gentle and pleased.

Luke noses his way back up to Julie’s mouth and presses a few soft kisses against her lips. “Sure,” he whispers, and he can feel Julie’s answering smile against his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end! I hope you enjoyed the fic, Chloe, and all who read it. This was really fun to write. I'm not sure how much of a 5+1(+1) this is, but I wanted to explore Juke from different POVs before getting into their heads.
> 
> I know we'll have to wait a long time for a kiss and I'm not even mad. I need more soft Juke scenes and we can get that without a kiss... even though I can live through my fanfics and have them kiss.
> 
> Let me know what you guys thought!


End file.
